Grimiore of the Rift
by Dawn Totadile
Summary: Follow Adam Clemens as he goes through Ivalice in the Twilight Clan, trying to find his way home. What adventure awaits this ten year old and just how much growing up can a lad do in a bit of summer?
1. Chapter 1

**_Summer vacation's so close I can taste it. I'm out that door as soon as the teacher stops talking. Summer homework: keep a journal. That's not too bad. Better write my name on my notebook before I forget: Adam Clemens. Don't get me wrong, I'm not crazy about homework. Just, it could be worse. And I can already guess what my first entry's going to be: "Summer Vacation, Day 1: Aunt chewed me out. Grounded for a week." Maybe this journal thing's not such a great idea after all. Oh, we got another assignment, due today: "My Summer Vacation." We're supposed to write our goals for this summer. Well, here goes…_**

 ** _1._** **** ** _This summer I'm going to hang out with my friends!_**

 ** _2._** **** ** _As a personal goal, I want to be able to swim half a mile!_**

 ** _3._** **** ** _Next year I promise not to misbehave in class._**

 ** _'I promise not to misbehave in class… Or at least not to get caught, hehe.'_**

 ** _Heh, that all sounds pretty convincing. Summer vacation, here I come… Not that I have any idea what I'm doing this summer. But, I guess not having any expectations isn't all bad. I mean, whatever ends up happening, it'll be a surprise!_**

 _"There's the bell Have a good summer. Class dismissed!"_

 _Adam and his two friends start to head out the door when the teacher stops him. "Not you, Adam Clemens! Sorry, but your vacation doesn't start quite yet. Your friends are going home, but you're going straight to the library, young man."_

 _"Aw, c'mon, Mr. Blair! Why?"_

 _"Think about it."_

 _"Mmmm… Done. I got nothing."_

 _Mr. Blair shakes his head. "Let's take a trip down memory lane… to this morning! When you were late to my class for the-how many times is it now?"_

 _Adam shrugs. "That would be… I don't know."_

 _"Enough times that you've forgotten apparently!" Mr. Blair sighs. "Adam… You're not a bad student by any means. But occasionally, you require a little… correction, shall we say. Which is why, I have decided to put you in charge of cleaning up the library. Maybe a little straightening up there will help straighten you out, too."_

 _"Look, I see what you're trying to do here. But the last day of school? You gotta be kidding! I mean, it's summer vacation!"_

 _"Vacations are to be earned. And you've got a lot of earning to do, my boy. Mr. Randell's down in the library. Don't keep him waiting."_

 _"…"_

 _"And don't even think about loafing off or sneaking out. Not unless you want me to pay a visit to your house."_

 _"…Yes, Mr. Blair. Well, see ya!" Adam turns to leave towards the library. "Oh, and I hope you have a really, really great summer vacation." As Mr. Blair had said, he wasn't a bad boy. He just needed some direction._

 _Once Adam had reached the library, he was surprised to find no one was there. "Huh? I thought Mr. Randell was supposed to be here." He looked around the desks and started to tidy up once in a while until he noticed something on the library table. "Check out that book! It looks older than Mr. Blair!" Ever the curious boy, Adam sat himself down to read it. "Wonder what it's about? The pictures are pretty cool. Swords…wizards…" As he turned the pages he discovered something odd about the book. "Huh? That's funny. The book just stops halfway through. The pages are all blank! Let's see what the last page with writing on it says… 'One is fated to fill these barren pages. Know you his name?'" Adam smirked as he got out his pencil. "'Know you his name'…? What's with all the backwards words? Well I never pass up a chance to write in a library book! I'll tell you his name! 'His name is…" He pauses just before he writes is own name in the book. "…'Adam Clemens!'" After he finishes writing his name a bright light from the book swirls around him and he feels like he's dropping a million feet. "Not Good!"_


	2. Chapter 2

"Oi, oi. What have we here?" A young Bangaa warrior with dark skin, blonde hair, blue eyes, and a noblemen or knight's uniform on, led two other members of his clan into a clearing in the woods. One was a black mage of Nu Mou origins and the other was a white mage, which was a Viera.

Just across the clearing was the target of their quest. An over grown chicken like creature that was about twenty-four feet high, had razor sharp claws, and spikes on its body. His piercing green eyes gleamed with ferocity as it eyed the clan members.

"Why is it always the vicious ones that pay the worst? 250 gil is barely enough to pay for our time sweeping up the feathers when we're done." The giant bird squawks at them hungrily. "What, you hungry? Sorry, but I've got higher aspirations than becoming chicken feed. Hop to it then!"

As the group moved forward to attack, a strange light sprung up out of nowhere in front of the monstrous bird. A young boy appeared. He had blue eyes and brown hair along with pale skin. He looked around lost.

"M-Mr. Randell!?" He turned around and noticed the giant bird squawking at him angrily. "Not Mr. Randell!"

"You there!" The Bangaa called out to the human boy.

"Ack! Who are you!? You're n-not even human!" Adam faced the strange creatures with shock. The bird was starting to shake off his stunned expression of disbelief.

"Calm yourself, stranger. We'll protect you, if you'll let us. Join our clan now if you care to live. I hardly need spell out the alternative." His voice was calming and yet strong, as though he was used to being a leader and had been one for many years.

"Join your what!?"

The Bangaa rolled his eyes. "Our clan. You may be injured, but if you are in our clan, you will not die."

"Why should I trust you?" Adam was starting to get his ground, at least until the bird monster startled him by nearly eating him. "Yikes!"

The Bangaa almost chuckled. "Because I can guarantee you'll get no such offer from him!"

Adam nodded and scrambled over to the three creatures. "O-okay, what do I do?"

"Swear your oath to the Judge. Say you'll join the clan!" The Bangaa then summoned something by bringing out a small stone.

A bright light showed and a tall creature that looked like a knight in full armor with horns on its helm and a purple cloak appeared. He was floating just above the ground and seemed to radiate safety and protection.

"That's… a judge?"

"Quickly, before the beast has time to act!" The Bangaa urged the young human forward.

"Hey, um, Judge! I swear the oath! Let me in the clan!" The Bangaa couldn't help but let out a small snort.

'This boy is something else, hehe, hopefully he doesn't disrespect the Judge too much.'

The judge looked over the boy and nodded. Then enveloped the boy in a flash of light and disappeared, leaving the boy in a simple soldier's uniform with a clover pin on a strap and a red beret on his head.

"Whoa, check it out!"

The Bangaa looked over to where the creature was and noticed two smaller ones come out from the bushes. "Ah, he's brought the little ones along to feed." He looked at the new soldier and said, "Stand back, stranger, we'll handle this lot." He then looked to the white mage and the black mage. "Ready yourselves!"

"You're going to fight them?" The boy asked. He knew he wasn't dreaming, for the weight of his armor told him that much, but if what they said was true, than he could never die while with them.

"Once you stand back as I've told you, yes."

"Hey, let me take a swing at them! I swore my oath. That means I can't die, right?"

"Harrumph! Spoken like a true greenhorn! No, you will not die, but get a beak in your eye and you might wish you had." The Bangaa couldn't help but to chuckle at the boy's expression. 'Such a strange Hume.'

"Well, I didn't mean I'd go in first or anything. And I'm no fan of getting beaked… But I won't just stand here while you do all the hard work. C'mon, let me fight!" His eagerness to prove himself was commendable, but at the same time amusing.

"Hrm… I did not intend to make you fight when I invited you to join us, however… You promise to do exactly as I say?"

Adam nodded eagerly. "Promise!"

"Then you may fight. I am Cid. And you are?"

"Adam."

"Very well, Adam. We begin!"

A small dome seemed to appear over the group. "Objective: Defeat Klesta!" The judge then came into view in the center of the dome at the top. "Forbidden: Ranged Weapons! Commence Battle!"

The white mage behind Adam then started to speak. She was a Viera, and looked like a Human with bunny ears. "If you are to fight with us… it is best that I first explain to you your role. In combat, speed is essential. The swift move first. The sluggish, never. You will find, while my words may come slow, my feet move quick." Her voice was calming and sweet. "Know this: in battle, we fight not only our foes, but the terrain as well. Master it, and move well… or your sword will eat only air." She was in front of him a second later. "When it comes time to move, move swiftly, but do not rush to strike. Sometimes holding your ground is the prudent course… and your next action will come all the sooner. There is another thing you should know. Those of different blood and different calling move differently as well. Some are swift, some not so." She got out her staff and waited for the attack.

The black mage Nu Mou, who was still behind, then started to talk. "Allow me to explain 'Actions'. There are many actions one might take on the field of battle. Whether it be the simple thrust of a blade, or an ability learned through one's job. As a black mage, I use Black Magick. I will show you one such magick called 'Fire'." The Nu Mou walked forward towards the bird monster. He hid himself behind a rock so that Klesta, the bird monster, would not notice him. "Fire." A set of fire blasts hit the big bird, startling it. "Would that I could use magick whenever it pleased me. Alas, all things have a cost. Magick is no exception. Thankfully, the energies spent in casting are renewed over time."

"Oh, and Adam- Just so you know, -I'm the one who decides what I do. Think of me as the leader. I might not take orders, but we're on the same side, try not to forget that in the heat of battle!" Cid smirked. He was clan leader, and needed no one to tell him what to do. Adam nodded. "Now, come up here so that you can get close enough to swing your sword at them." He had already moved up next to Klesta.

Adam moved up close to Cid just as he finished his first attack against the bird. Cid nodded to the Viera and she moved so that she was just behind Adam. "My name is Walu, and my specialty, due to my occupation, is healing." She lifted her White Staff and called out softly, "Cure." A blue light went over her, Adam, and Cid. Adam noticed that his bruises from his fall were gone and he no longer ached.

"Wow, thanks." Walu simply nodded and smiled.

"Alright, Adam, you say you're up for a fight, well let's see what you can do against Klesta over there." Cid indicated to the giant chicken.

"Alright!" Adam took a step forward so that he was close enough to the bird to swing his little Shortsword. He then raised his bronze shield after managing to give a good slash to the bird.

"Not bad. You'll get the hang of it with more practice. Rej, why don't you show the young Hume how to 'Shock' the bird?"

Rej was the Nu Mou Black Mage and he smiled and nodded with a bit of eagerness at this. He was working on perfecting his black magick, and his Thunder Spell needed practice. He raised his Rod and said simply "Thunder". A shock of lightning struck the bird, causing it to shudder.

Cid took the opportunity to attack once and then backed off.

The Crushatrice, or Klesta as it was called, jumped up and landed on both mages, knocking them flat, and then returned to it's original position. It's children each went and attacked a different person. The first went after Adam, while the second went after Cid. They each got a nasty scratch from the large birds, but were otherwise fine.

Walu then used her healing ability to get rid of Adam's scratches again, as well as her own. Rej used "Fire" once more on the big bird and then backed away weakly as he had been severely injured. Klesta once more jumped in the air and managed to knock down Walu while also damaging Adam.

"Walu, are you okay?" Adam asked as he looked to the white mage.

"This wound is more than I can bear. I must leave you. I'm sorry…" She then used another bit of magic that was given by the Judge to the clan members. It flashed a small white light and Walu was gone.

"What happened to her? I thought you said…"

"I said that you won't die, Adam. She's just been teleported to the other clan members. You'll see her again when we get finished. She's just recovering from her wounds. Sometimes they get too much for us and we must retreat for a bit. There are ways to be brought back into battle, but at the moment, we do not possess such methods." Cid explained calmly to the young boy.

Adam sighed in relief and then turned back to the task at hand. He attempted to swing at Klesta, but found that he narrowly missed. "Oh man." He then ran next to Cid.

Cid took a stand next to Klesta and struck at him. The bird then flew off leaving a trail of feathers behind. It's little ones ran off after it.

"Yeah! That wasn't so bad!" Adam smiled as it they started to dust themselves off.

"Law Bonus: Longbow" called the Judge as it placed a longbow onto the ground for the group. Cid smiled and nodded.

"A job well done. Clan, back to town!"

"Um, Cid? Do you think you could, erm…" Adam was afraid that now that the fight was over, he'd be left to fend for himself.

"Do not worry. I didn't invite you to join our clan just to abandon you in the wild." Cid smiled at the boy.

"You mean you'll take me with you? Thanks! I got so caught up in the fight, I kind of forgot… But now that I think of it, I don't have any idea where I am." Adam said while biting his lip.

"And I have questions to ask of you. Beginning with how you managed to appear from the empty skies."

Just then, something rumbled. Adam looked down, slightly embarrassed, at his stomach. "Ah… I kind of skipped lunch today…"

Cid just laughed. "Ha ha ha! Very well. First order of business is to go home and eat. Then, we talk." Everyone nodded and started off towards a small village called "Wood Village".


	3. Chapter 3

Adam had been explaining everything while the clan gathered. Cid was right. Walu was already patched up and waiting for them in the pub. Cid was trying to understand what exactly had had happened to the boy.

"…So you wrote your name in the old book, there was a flash of light, and you dropped in on our fight."

"Hey, I was more surprised than you were. Finding myself in the middle of the woods…" Adam shook his head. "… with that chicken thing and you, Cid… I mean, you're not human! Or a 'hume,' was it? Here I thought I was off to clean a library."

"Ah, but you adapted quick… or perhaps it's just that you lack a healthy sense of danger. I've never seen someone eat so well after battle!" Cid chuckled as Adam ate his fourth sandwich.

Adam shrugged. "Hey, what can I say? When you gotta eat, you gotta eat!"

"Apparently so. But I've changed the subject. You… came here, to our world of Ivalice from somewhere not of Ivalice. Through that book of yours."

Adam nodded. "Um, yeah, that's about the size of it… So… how do I get back?" Adam grimaced as he finished his last sandwich. "My aunt worries if I'm half an hour late home from school. I have to find a way back."

Cid nodded. "I took you in, I'll help you find a way back. Back to your world."

"You will?" Adam looked up with excitement and surprise.

"I will, lad. I expected as much when we took you into the clan."

"Well, thanks, Cid! I guess I'll do what I can to help the clan out until we find a way back. You got to admit, I pulled my weight back there in the woods, huh?" Adam smiled cheerfully. "If I'm stuck here for a while, I might as well enjoy it. I wouldn't mind seeing a bit of this Ivalice place."

Cid just chuckled while shaking his head. "As I said, utterly heedless of danger."

Adam shrugged. "Heh. I try." He then turned around to look at the rest of the clan he was now a part of. "So, all the people here are in the clan?" Cid nodded with a smirk. Adam then decided to address the group and introduce himself. "Hey, I'm Adam. Thanks for letting me join your…" He then turned to Cid as he realized something. "Um, Cid… Does this clan have a name? It must. C'mon, tell me!"

Cid just chuckled once more. He was a very light hearted fellow at times. "We're Clan Twilight. That was when the clan was formed, so that was the name given. Not that it's a name many know."

Adam just nodded his head and turned back towards the group. "Right, well… I'm Adam Clemens. A, uh, proud member of Clan Twilight! Thanks for taking me. I hope I don't slow you down too much." The group just nodded and they got back to their talking after they greeted him. Adam then turned back to Cid. "So, do clans do much else other than fight monsters?"

"You'll find that most work falls along those lines… but there are other things. Available jobs, which we call 'quests,' are posted at the local pub. There'll be time enough to show you this later." Cid answered as he looked at the old clock in the pub.

"You mean we're done for the day?" Adam looked at him questioningly.

"That's right. There's your welcoming party to attend to, after all." Cid smiled.

"Huh?"

"Barman! Refreshments for all!" Cid called. The Barman nodded and smiled as he brought around drinks for all in the pub. Cid was always one of his best customers.


	4. Chapter 4

The next day was ironically the first day of their year, in the month of Silversun. They went down to the pub to get quests for the day. "So you really do find work in pubs… I always pictured a pub as someplace to kick back and grab a snack."

Cid smiled at Adam with a roguish smile. "What better place? People gather to share a meal, and where there are people, there's talk. Clans pay good money for the sort of talk that leads to work- the quests I mentioned before."

"So if we need to make money or find something to do, the pub is the place to go."

"Exactly." The two then walk towards the bar of the pub.

"Ah, Cid. Looking for work?" The bartender chuckled. He was an older hume with a white beard and a smiling sense of humor.

"That's right. We have a new member in need of training." He turned to Adam and explained. "Talk to the barman, Adam. Find us a good quest. The best way to learn is to do, lad."

Adam smiled and nodded. "Okay, leave it to me." He walked up to the bar.

"So, you're Cid's new recruit? Well, if you're looking for a quest, the first thing you'll want to do is ask to see the quest roster. The roster lists all the quests on record at the pub. Once you've found a quest that catches your eye, simply pay the finder's fee and you're done. It's not enough to read the quest and go running off. If you haven't paid the fee, you'll be on a fool's errand." Adam nodded as he listened to this. "Now some quests you can take as long as you please to finish. Others you'll have a set number of days to do it in. It's all there on the quest roster, so just pay close attention and you'll avoid any unpleasant surprises. That's all there is to it. Ready to have a go?"

Adam nodded and looked at the list. There was only one quest on the list. It was called "A Paw Full of Feathers" and it was a request for someone to get rid of Wolves that were bothering someone's Chocobos. "I guess we'll take this one."

"That'll be 100 gil for the quest. Good luck."

Adam then looked towards Cid with a wide smile on his face. "I got us a quest. 'A Paw Full of Feathers'. They want us to chase off some wolves." He handed the quest to his clan leader.

"Let's see… That ranch isn't far from the village. No hurry, though. There's no deadline written on the bill."

"Sounds like they're in a tight spot. I don't wanna keep 'em waiting. I'll go get the others!" Adam started off towards the door.

"See that you're ready before you go running off!" He rubbed his head with his right hand while his left held the paper. "That boy needs to get his priorities straight. At this rate he's like to stay here forever." Cid then started off after him. He stopped him just outside the pub. "You may want to pay a visit to a shop before we leave, Adam."

"Alright." Cid led the boy to a nearby shop where a young female Hume was stocking the shelves. "Hello?"

"Good day. I'm afraid our selection isn't very good at the moment, Cid."

"Quite alright, Lisa. This is our newest recruit, Adam. He's here to look through your stock for anything that he could use."

"We might have something you'd like, if you'd care to take a look." She walked behind the counter in her simple green gown and smiled kindly to the young boy. "We offer all manner of arms, armor, and consumables for the ambitious hunter. Take a look around."

Adam nodded and looked through everything. He grabbed a few items, which included a sword, and Cid also grabbed a couple of items for the rest of the clan. Cid then payed the lady with a smile as Adam started for the door.

"I can't help but notice you have some loot on you, young man." Adam stopped, and waited for an explanation. "If you'd like, I can put your loot up on the bazaar and see what I can get for it in return."

"Loot? Bazaar? Huh?"

Lisa just chuckled while Cid remained amused. Lisa then explained; "Loot can be almost anything from a rat pelt to a precious gem. Hunters and clans usually come into a fair bit of loot while questing."

Adam's eyes widened in understanding. "So that's what all that stuff we've been finding is. Meaning this lump of metal here… is a piece of loot?"

"That's a piece of loot if ever there was one. Since you seem a bit… confused about all of this, perhaps a more detailed explanation would help?" Adam nodded his head. "You see, traders at the bazaar are always interested in acquiring new, exotic pieces of loot. The better the loot, the better the item they'll give in return. Just tell me when you have some loot you'd like to put on the bazaar and I'll take care of the rest. I'll add any items I can get from the bazaar to the stock of items you can purchase here at the shop."

"Alright, I'll give it a try." Adam smiled as he dug out the loot from his bag. As he looked, he found that he only had enough loot for a set of apprentice weapons. He handed over some Gikhet lead, which looked like a small write rock, and some purple dust known as Faren Pollen.

The lady smiled and went to the back with the items. When she returned she had a new weapon on display. It was a broadsword. "I've a new item in stock now. Next time you feel like making a purchase, take a look! We carry all manner of weapons and equipment here. You still seem rather new to all this, so perhaps I should tell you a little about the equipment we sell. Some pieces of equipment bestow new abilities on their wearer. With these pieces equipped, you can use the abilities, whether you've seen them before or not. There's no better way to give a new ability a try before deciding whether or not you should learn it. Of course, you'll need a variety of equipment, and that's where we come in." Lisa chuckled.

"Time to go." Cid announced.

"Thank you for coming… I'll tell you what I'll do… I'm going to write up a summary of our discussion about the bazaar and equipment. I'll post it on the pub's rumor board so you can read it whenever you like. Not much of a rumor, really, but it might be helpful. I hope we'll see you again soon!"


	5. Chapter 5

The clan entered a ranch that wasn't far from Wood Village. Adam noticed some brightly colored birds that looked like giant canaries. Some of them were as tall as him, if not taller. "Whoa, so this is a chocobo, huh? It's way bigger than I imagined! Cool! Hey, they're kinda cute."

Cid smirked as Adam made his way closer to the strange birds. "Step too close and he'll peck your eye out."

"Oh, I already know all about that." Suddenly there was a rustling sound. The large birds all turned away from Cid and Adam with wide eyes. "What is it?"

A few more seconds of silence went by as Cid grabbed his own sword out. "Company."

Adam's eyes widened in slight fear. "Um… here, chocobos! Stay in the hutch while we deal with these wolves." The chocobos listened and ran towards the little house like place they lived in. Suddenly some strange creatures came from the woods. They were large, brown, and had blue spikes on their backs and tails. "Don't even think about touching those chocobos!" Adam was no longer afraid, now that he had his eyes on the enemy.

"OBJECTIVE: Defeat all Foes!" A battle dome formed over the small clan as the judge appeared overhead. "Forbidden: Fire! (Weapons and abilities that use fire are forbidden.)"

Adam blinked and noticed the judge. "Huh?" He then turned towards Cid. "Hey, Cid. What was the judge saying about some law just now? What do laws have to do with fighting?"

Cid face palmed himself as he realized he had forgotten to tell the young boy about the other benefits of the Judge. "Ah, I was remiss in my explanations. Laws are like the rules of engagement: guidelines you must follow in combat. When an adjudged clan- that is, a clan watched over by a Judge – fights, it abides by laws. It is not enough to do battle. We must do battle with care to not break any law."

Adam looked at the Bangaa with shock. "You serious? That sounds like a pain."

Cid grimaced. "Yes… but not without gain. Only by keeping the letter of the law may a clan enjoy its full privileges. Not to mention the reward offered those who heed the Judge's word. Why don't you try picking the clan privilege this time round, Adam? Don't fret over your choice. Consider it to be a gift. First choose which clan members we can summon to participate in battle, then choose the privilege you will use."

Adam nodded as a magic list appeared in front of him with the names and descriptions of each of the members of the Twilight Clan. He chose the white mage, Walu, a young Bangaa warrior named Rishal, a Hume archer named Yorm, and a young bunny like creature with a puff ball on their head, a moogle thief, named Gauche. The four other members appeared behind him. Once that was taken care of, the list shimmered away and was replaced with another list that was labeled "Clan privileges." He selected the Bonus EXP1 privilege, which would increase the amount of magical knowledge for their weapons and skills so that they didn't need to train with it for an excessive amount of time.

After the second list faded, Adam turned to Cid, who nodded. "Listen, Adam. Always obey the law when you can. If you don't, it will not be as severe as it could be, but you will merely lose your clan privilege, and fallen comrades will remain so until the battle ends." Adam nodded and they heard the judge call the battle to a start.

Gauche was the first to move. He made his way towards the strange wolves and hid behind a fence in wait. A wolf came next. Adam noticed that everything seemed to follow rules of movement as well. One of the wolves attacked Gauche, and then it was Walu's turn. She gave the closest wolf a whack just before Yorm shot at it. Cid made his way behind the wolf and finished it off, leaving one other wolf and a strange creature that looked like an orkish pig, a Baknamy, left to fight. Rishal made his way closer to the other opponents with Adam close behind.

The Baknamy made an attack against Rishal, but he was still standing by the time Gauche came beside the last wolf and attacked it. Yorm fired another shot, this time at the Baknamy. It barely pierced the armor.

The wolf came behind Gauche and knocked him out. Gauche managed to groan out as the judge wisped him away, "I'm in bad shape. That's it for me, kupo…"

Adam risked a glance of concern, wondering what to do. Rishal managed to flip behind the Baknamy and attacked it from behind. Adam came at it from the side and also managed an attack. Walu made her way over to Yorm while Cid made his way to the wolf, body slamming it.

The Baknamy and Wolf made attacks on Walu and Rishal. Rishal was badly injured now and slumped over, trying to keep going. Yorm frowned and shot an arrow at the offending wolf. Walu dodged the Baknamy and made her way over to Rishal and Adam, who was trying to help the Bangaa. "CURE!" Rishal recovered a bit of his energy and attacked the Baknamy from behind. Adam made towards the wolf, feeling full of energy himself as he attacked it from behind. Cid finished off the wolf with a nod towards the hume he had recently added to the team. The boy had done good. The Baknamy still had a few tricks though and had once more nearly knocked out Rishal.  
Yorm noticed the Baknamy making a break for it and shot it with his arrow. After another "CURE" from Walu, Rishal made the final blow on the creature. It would no longer bother the chocobos.

Adam sighed with relief. "That's the last we'll see of those mangy mutts!" Cid just chuckled.

The judge came down from his viewing point and announced the battle complete. Because they had obeyed the law, the clan had earned a set of metal knuckles and a silken robe, both useful items to equip later on.

Adam smiled as the chocobos came back out. "Today is a good day to be a chocobo! Heh, he."

"And a good day to quest." Cid smiled, happy at their victory. "All we need do now is collect our pay." Cid then turned to Adam. "So, I think you understand well enough what it is we do. You might keep an eye out for quests that promise to lead you toward home."

"Home… right." Adam nodded, having forgotten for the moment that this couldn't be his life forever. "It's all tied up in that book with blank pages… Figure that book out, and I'll find my way back."

Cid nodded in agreement. "The magick book, yes."

Adam then grumbled as he started to walk off the farm. "I just wish I'd been paying more attention to the thing. I remember it was old, real old. The cover was all faded. I didn't even see what it was called."

"The question is," Adam turned towards Cid as he pondered aloud. "Who wrote it, where, and for what reason?" Cid grimaced, "…three questions, actually." Cid then noticed something attached to the boy's bag. "Hrm? Don't tell me you carry a journal around, Adam."

Adam jolted and looked at his bag. There was a journal strapped to his bag! "Huh? A journal?" He grabbed it and looked at it. "Hey, it is a journal. I assumed it was some kind of belt or tool pouch."

Cid was now curious as he had given the boy his supplies technically, or rather the judge did, when he had joined the clan. "You mean… that's not yours?"

Adam looked up at his companion and clan leader. "Do I look like the type to keep a journal to you?"

Cid laughed. "That you do not."

Adam opened the journal and frowned. "…?"

"What is it? Has it been written in?"

"Look at this, Cid! This journal talks about me in the library…" He flips the page. "… and coming to Ivalice, and getting rescued… Everything I've done is in here!"

"Ah, so you do keep a journal!" Cid chuckled.

The book then started to glow, making both their eyes widen in surprise. "I think it keeps itself! Look, words are appearing in it right now!"

"Ah, it's recording the fight with the wolves just now."

"A magick journal?"

Cid grimaced. "Yet another surprise. You're full of them aren't you?"

Adam grimaced as well. "You think this magick journal's got something to do with that book?"

Cid thought about it, placing a hand to his chin. "Possibly… No, it's certain. You've found your first clue."

Adam grinned like the child he was. "That wasn't so hard." Then he frowned. "So who would know something about a magick journal? Maybe a wizard? What if I can find a quest that'd take me to one?" His smile returned just as quickly as it had left. "That's it! Cid! Let's get back to town and check out the lists at the pub!"

Cid nodded and led the boy back to the town of Wood Village.


End file.
